Riders at HITS Ocala raced to put the finishing touches on their warm-ups on Saturday, January 31, as the penultimate day of competition during HITS Ocala Premiere week came to a head for the $60,000 FarmVet Grand Prix. Held at the iconic HITS Post Time Farm, the popular HITS Ocala Winter Circuit features 10 weeks of top-tier hunter, jumper, and equitation competition in “The Horse Capital of the World,” including a weekly national grand prix. Always one to bring the heat in a jump-off, Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) stepped on the gas with her rising star Romeo B to take the win with a leading time of 40.480 seconds.
Mark McGowan (GBR) set the track for the opening field of 19 horse-and-rider combinations. Using delicate fences and the berth of HITS Post Time Farm’s impressive Grand Prix Ring, McGowan managed to dwindle the contestants down to seven pairings that were able to produce a fault-free first round and punch their ticket to the jump-off.
As the time to beat got tighter and rails fell, the final few rounds quickly became a nail-biter. Laura Gaither (USA) looked to secure the top spot with Hop Mouche after blazing through the timers in 40.958 seconds, but with Goldman-Smolen to follow and hot on her heels, the win was still up for grabs. Despite being what Goldman-Smolen described as “young for his age,” Romeo B showed all style and smarts as the pair just pipped Gaither’s leading time and ran away with the win.
“He is kind of my main horse now at this level,” said Goldman-Smolen of her nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Heartbreaker x Branco). “My other main guy decided that he didn’t want to come down here this winter, and I have Sovereign still, who was double-clear last week, but he’s 20 this year. So, Romeo had to step up. He’s got some big shoes to fill, but I’m really proud of him today.”
While Romeo B may be newer to the grand prix level, he is no stranger to the winner’s circle at HITS, having helped Goldman-Smolen secure the win in the 2024 STX Open Speed Series at HITS Chicago.
“He’s a little ‘young’ in training for his age because he had a break when I had my second baby, so he’s done a lot of the regional standard grand prix classes but not a lot of the bigger classes,” she explained. “When he was younger, we did the speed series in Chicago, and I think that was an incredible way for him to learn how to go fast without having to worry about the big height yet.
“We are a pretty die-hard HITS family,” she continued. “I love it here at HITS Ocala too; we bought a farm five minutes down the road because of showing here. It’s so nice that they put on so many breakfasts and brunches for those of us that are here daily. It’s a great environment for the young ones as well. I brought one of my five-year-old homebreds and did their first show ever this week. It’s so nice to be able to have a good environment for both the horses and the family.”
After giving it their all, Gaither and Dalastar LLC’s nine-year-old Selle Français gelding (Candy de Nantuel x Mr. Blue) settled into the second-place position. Veteran show jumper Todd Minikus (USA) piloted his newer mount, Chacoon’s Bellis Z, a nine-year-old Zangersheide mare (Chaccoon Blue x Balou du Rouet), into the third and final place in the victory gallop after stopping the clock in 41.601 seconds.
The third week of the 2026 HITS Ocala Winter Series will conclude on Sunday, February 1, 2026, with amateur and junior riders taking center stage on Jumper Classic Sunday. For a full list of results, please visit showmanagementsystem.com.
